Description

Law for Project Managers provides an easily understandable and practical guide to the laws of contract, liability, intellectual property and so on, entirely from the perspective of the project manager. It will enable you to approach projects forewarned and forearmed, able to avoid potential legal problems altogether.

The book covers everything from intellectual property disputes with the client organisation about who actually 'owns' the outcome, to confusion arising during an international project from the different legal systems and their approach to contracts and health and safety problems in the management of contractors. Most importantly, it explains everything in very straightforward terms; legal jargon is either avoided altogether or defined with its relevance to the project manager explained.

In essence, Law for Project Managers is a clear, readable and expert guide on this and many other important legal matters for the practising project manager as well as a supplementary text for post- or undergraduate students studying the commercial aspects of law, contracting and project management.

Table of Contents

PART 1 – GENERAL

The law’s approach

Law is about relationships

Legal systems

Law and companies

The Contract

The real world

The basic principles

A practical approach

PART II – THE ORIGINS OF LAW

Law in the UK

A summary

Law made by legislation

What legislation means

Law made by judges

Keeping up to date

European Union law

An introduction to the EU

The organisation

How the EU makes law

PART III – CONTRACT LAW

How contracts are made

Introduction

The requirements for a contract

Offer and acceptance

Putting it in writing

Agency and the commercial organisation

The Letter of Intent

What is a Letter of Intent

The preliminary contract

Authorisation to start work

A cautionary tale

The meanings behind the words

The problem of words

The role of terms

Civil law

Interpretation

The principles in practice

Lateness Specifications and Defects

Liability for lateness

The specification

Liability for defective work and equipment

Excluding and limiting liability

The Law of Breach

Contract termination

Remedies for breach

Civil law

PART IV – USING THE LAWYERS

Using the professionals

The rules

Finding advice

Preparing for dispute

Disputes

Fairness in law

Methods of resolving disputes

Other countries

PART V – LIABILITY LAW

Negligence

The law of tort

The principles of liability for negligence

Civil law

Liability for Escapes

Corporate and personal liability

Strict liability for creating a hazard

Nuisance liability

PART VI – OTHER TOPICS

Intellectual Property

Introduction

The patent

Design rights

Copyright

Knowhow

The consequences

Forms of Security

Assets as security

Sureties and bonds

Exporting and Importing

The letter of credit

The negotiable instrument

The world system

Shipping terms

About the Author

David Wright is an independent consultant, specialising in project management and engineering. He is an experienced arbitrator, mediator and adjudicator in the process industry and has author and contributed to a number of books, including The Purple Book, the standard guide to the ICHEME conditions of contract.